Renting a boat
Nov 10th, 2004 | 02:40 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4
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Renting a boat
We will spend 3 weeks in June travelling around Ireland. We want to rent a boat for 3 days. What is a good area to spend 3 days? Any suggestions for a rental agency? What do you do while you are on the boat, can you stop anywhere and get on shore? Thanks for any help.
Nov 10th, 2004 | 08:27 AM
#3
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 557
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Why not rent a boat on the Shannon, or on the Shannon-Erne waterway. You don't have to be experienced sailors, and stopping off at riverside pubs and restaurants are a great way to meet other travellers.
I just googled the links below - there are probably loads more. Most rental companies include a lesson and maps etc as part of the price. Hope this helps.
http://www.silverlinecruisers.com/
http://www.iwai.ie/rentals/
I just googled the links below - there are probably loads more. Most rental companies include a lesson and maps etc as part of the price. Hope this helps.
http://www.silverlinecruisers.com/
http://www.iwai.ie/rentals/
Nov 10th, 2004 | 10:42 AM
#4
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,120
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What kind of boat?
Powerboat? Sailboat? What size? I'm assuming powerboat so that you can "stop anywhere".
True story : An inexperienced boating friend of mine rented a 17-ft ski boat in an unnamed country and sunk it when he stopped too quickly and the backwash filled the boat. They swam to the beach and walked away from it all. This was years ago - when deposits and such were on a handshake.
Powerboat? Sailboat? What size? I'm assuming powerboat so that you can "stop anywhere".
True story : An inexperienced boating friend of mine rented a 17-ft ski boat in an unnamed country and sunk it when he stopped too quickly and the backwash filled the boat. They swam to the beach and walked away from it all. This was years ago - when deposits and such were on a handshake.
Nov 10th, 2004 | 11:55 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,414
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Hi Eva:
Well, it so happens that I have done such a thing and though there were definitely some trials and tribulations, I would (and will) do it again in a flash. I rented from Carrickcraft (http://www.cruise-ireland.com/) and there are a few others. I believe 12travel.com uses Emerald lines. Silverlines as mention earlier also has some possiblities.
I had never piloted more than a very small motor boat and the lesson I got wasn't the greatest, but it is not particularly difficult, though map reading skills, as my wife found out the hard way, are incredibly important.
You might find it hard to rent a cruiser in June for only three days. Many have a minimum of 7, especially at that time of year. I rented at Carrick on Shannon. They have two other locations.
One of the very important things that you do on the boat is pilot it and make sure you don't wander into shallow waters outside the suggested channel. Failure to stay in the channels can be pricey and emabarrassing. You can only stop at places with moorings for the boats unless you also rent a dinghy and anchor the large boat and row ashore. Otherwise, you will run aground trying to reach the shore. There are lots of places to tie up.
The cruisers tend to start at about 24 feet and are as long as 38 feet depending on the number of berths. As a rule of thumb, if there are two of you, get a four person, if there are 4 get a 6 person. They are very small and can be pretty cramped.
This is by no means a luxury experience and it is likely that you will spend some time getting wet. Still, we had a fantastic time and I intend to do it again in perhaps 2006. If you would like to read about my adventures, you can find them starting here:
http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ire...ick_on_shannon
and then click on the links to the subsequent pages. A few things went wrong.
Good luck!
Bill
Well, it so happens that I have done such a thing and though there were definitely some trials and tribulations, I would (and will) do it again in a flash. I rented from Carrickcraft (http://www.cruise-ireland.com/) and there are a few others. I believe 12travel.com uses Emerald lines. Silverlines as mention earlier also has some possiblities.
I had never piloted more than a very small motor boat and the lesson I got wasn't the greatest, but it is not particularly difficult, though map reading skills, as my wife found out the hard way, are incredibly important.
You might find it hard to rent a cruiser in June for only three days. Many have a minimum of 7, especially at that time of year. I rented at Carrick on Shannon. They have two other locations.
One of the very important things that you do on the boat is pilot it and make sure you don't wander into shallow waters outside the suggested channel. Failure to stay in the channels can be pricey and emabarrassing. You can only stop at places with moorings for the boats unless you also rent a dinghy and anchor the large boat and row ashore. Otherwise, you will run aground trying to reach the shore. There are lots of places to tie up.
The cruisers tend to start at about 24 feet and are as long as 38 feet depending on the number of berths. As a rule of thumb, if there are two of you, get a four person, if there are 4 get a 6 person. They are very small and can be pretty cramped.
This is by no means a luxury experience and it is likely that you will spend some time getting wet. Still, we had a fantastic time and I intend to do it again in perhaps 2006. If you would like to read about my adventures, you can find them starting here:
http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ire...ick_on_shannon
and then click on the links to the subsequent pages. A few things went wrong.
Good luck!
Bill
